Americans United - prayer in public schoolshttps://www.au.org/tags/prayer-public-schools
enDamon’s Contribution: Louisiana Graduate Stands Up For Constitution – And Gets Grief For Ithttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/damon%E2%80%99s-contribution-louisiana-graduate-stands-up-for-constitution-%E2%80%93-and
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Working for Americans United, I sometimes hear about public school officials who have a very poor understanding of the Constitution.</p>
<p>But no matter how many times I hear these stories, it still always shocks me that there are educators out there who refuse to respect the rights of all students, not just the majority.</p>
<p>That’s what’s happening in Bastrop, La., right now. A graduating senior who is an atheist has asked his school to discontinue prayers at commencement.</p>
<p>After receiving Damon Fowler’s complaint, the school reluctantly agreed to take it out of the graduation program this Friday.</p>
<p>“[The student] said if we included a traditional prayer in the ceremony that they would contact the [American Civil Liberties Union],” Bastrop High School Principal Stacey Pullen <a href="http://www.bastropenterprise.com/features/x2132687894/Student-challenges-prayer-at-Bastrop-graduation">said</a>. “We asked our attorney about it, and we are making changes to the program.”</p>
<p>That’s the right thing to do, especially considering that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 18 years ago that prayers at graduation violate the constitutional separation of church and state. The school has been in violation of the First Amendment for a long time.</p>
<p>The high court said in <em><a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&amp;vol=505&amp;invol=577">Lee v. Weisman</a>, </em>“[E]veryone knows that in our society and in our culture high school graduation is one of life’s most significant occasions…. [T]he Constitution forbids the State to exact religious conformity from a student as a price of attending her own high school graduation.”</p>
<p>While it’s great that this school finally plans to abide by the law, it still fails to make for a happy ending, particular for Damon.</p>
<p>Because he stood up for his rights, Damon is now being ostracized by school officials, students and members of the community, who are rallying to get official prayer back into the ceremony.</p>
<p>He <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/hed7y/threatened_to_contact_aclu_for_prayer_at/">writes</a> on the website Reddit, “I've had to deactivate my Facebook account and I can't reason with any of them. They refuse to listen. The whole town hates me, aside from a few closet atheists that are silently supporting, which I don't blame them looking at what I've incited here.”</p>
<p>A school official has attacked Damon in a local newspaper for standing up for his constitutional rights.</p>
<p>Mitzi Quinn, a member of the high school’s staff for nearly 25 years, said that in the past, students who were atheist, agnostic or otherwise non-Christian “had no problems” with the prayer.</p>
<p>“They respected the majority of their classmates and didn’t say anything,” Quinn said. “We’ve never had this come up before. Never.”</p>
<p>She added, “And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates.”</p>
<p>She’s wrong. I’d say Damon’s made quite the contribution. He’s taught his fellow students that no matter how hard it is, they should stand up for what’s right. He also represents all those who have been afraid to challenge the unconstitutional practice all these years.</p>
<p>What’s happening in Louisiana should also be a lesson to all school officials. They can’t trample the rights of their students just because they feel like it. If every minority group refused to fight for their rights, as Quinn suggests, then where would our country be today?</p>
<p>The Constitution serves to protect the right of the minority, especially when public officials refuse to do it themselves.</p>
<p>AU commends Damon and supports him in his fight.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bastrop-high-school">Bastrop High School</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lee-v-weisman">Lee v. Weisman</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-graudation">prayer at graudation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span></div></div>Thu, 19 May 2011 17:45:32 +0000Sandhya Bathija2529 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/damon%E2%80%99s-contribution-louisiana-graduate-stands-up-for-constitution-%E2%80%93-and#commentsWhat Philadelphia Shouldn’t Forget: The City Of Brotherly Love Rioted Over Religion In Public Schoolshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/what-philadelphia-shouldn%E2%80%99t-forget-the-city-of-brotherly-love-rioted-over
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">I don’t think Blackwell’s hearing this spring is going to lead to riots, but I also don’t think we need to go down the dead-end street of government trespass into religion.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Philadelphia is home to the<a href="http://constitutioncenter.org/"> National Constitution Center</a>, and it’s clear that members of the Philadelphia City Council ought to hop on down there and give our nation’s governing document a close read.</p>
<p>Last week, the council <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/city/20110312_Philly_Councilwoman_Blackwell_to_hold_hearing_on_school_prayer.html">approved a resolution</a> authorizing its education committee to hold hearings this spring on prayer in the city’s public schools. The move was sparked by Education Committee Chair Jannie L. Blackwell, who said she is taking up the topic at the behest of her constituents.</p>
<p>According to the Philadelphia<em> Inquirer</em>, Blackwell said, "I've been asked and asked and asked to introduce it. We want to have the discussion so people will know young people have the right of free expression."</p>
<p>The newspaper reported that Blackwell said “her intention to hold hearings this spring on school prayer should be considered an innocuous boostering of the benefits of a spiritual life and not an attempt to breach the wall between church and state.”</p>
<p>Sorry, we’re not convinced. Governmental intrusion into matters of faith is never “innocuous.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://legislation.phila.gov/attachments/11164.pdf">resolution</a> itself indicates that this is a government-sponsored crusade on behalf of prayer. It asserts that “prayer can promote more virtuous living and may have a positive impact on student behavior in schools” and says “encouraging students to not only pray for themselves but to pray for others can cause students to think more of their follow classmates then of themselves, to lead lives of thankfulness.”</p>
<p>And there’s the rub. It’s up to parents, not city council members or school officials, to decide whether to encourage youngsters to pray.</p>
<p>And just which prayer is the council member promoting? Prayer to Jesus? Or maybe the Hail Mary? How about Jewish prayers? Or prayers to Allah or the Goddess? Do they all promote “virtuous living” or are some more virtuous than others?</p>
<p>It’s gets complicated, doesn’t it? That’s why the Constitution bars government from encroachment into the sacred precincts of religion.</p>
<p>In addition to reading the Constitution, we would also encourage the city council to read some local history.</p>
<p>Back in 1844, Philadelphia was torn apart by riots over government-sponsored religion in the public schools.</p>
<p>As my colleague Rob Boston noted in a <em>Liberty</em> <a href="http://candst.tripod.com/boston3.htm">magazine article</a>, the city’s public schools were Protestant-dominated and featured recitation of (the Protestant version of) the Lord's Prayer, readings from the (Protestant) King James Version of the Bible, and singing of (Protestant) hymns. When Catholic Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick objected, the school agreed to excuse Catholic students from the exercises.</p>
<p>Protestant extremists were outraged at this nod toward diversity, and full-scale Protestant-Catholic riots erupted. Many city residents were injured and killed, and houses and church buildings were burned. The militia had to be called in to restore order.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, it was over a century later before the U.S. Supreme Court finally <a href="http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1962/1962_142">struck down</a> Pennsylvania’s practice of opening its public school day with Bible reading. The 1963 case, <em>Abington Township School District v. Schempp</em>, was brought not by Catholics, but by a suburban Philadelphia Unitarian family, Ed and Sydney Schempp, on behalf of their 16-year-old son, Ellery (who remains active today on behalf of church-state separation).</p>
<p>I don’t think Blackwell’s hearing this spring is going to lead to riots, but I also don’t think we need to go down the dead-end street of government trespass into religion. The councilwoman’s plan for a hearing needs to be cancelled.</p>
<p>By the way, the Delaware Valley Americans United Chapter is having its second "Church/State Issues Symposium" on Saturday, April 9 at the National Constitution Center. AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director Brent Walker <a href="http://dvau.org/?p=351">and other luminaries</a> will be speaking.</p>
<p>We encourage everyone<a href="http://www.au.org/take-action/calendar/events/archive/2011/delaware-valley-2nd-annual-symposium.html"> to attend</a>.</p>
<p>I’ll bet they’d given Blackwell and her fellow council members seats on the front row if they decided to come, too.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/philadelphia-bible-riots">Philadelphia Bible riots</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span></div></div>Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:47:54 +0000Joseph L. Conn1633 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/what-philadelphia-shouldn%E2%80%99t-forget-the-city-of-brotherly-love-rioted-over#commentsInappropriate Test Prep: Baltimore Principal Leads Students In Prayerhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/inappropriate-test-prep-baltimore-principal-leads-students-in-prayer
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Students are still quite free to engage in personal devotions as long as they aren’t interfering with the rights of others (or doing it while they’re supposed to be studying for standardized tests).</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>“As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school.”</p>
<p>That’s an aphorism I’ve seen often on bumper stickers and t-shirts, but I never thought public school officials would adopt it as a matter of official policy.</p>
<p><em>The Baltimore Sun</em> <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-msa-prayer-service-20110313,0,2230331.story">reported yesterday</a> that Principal Jael Yon of Northeast Baltimore's Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School scheduled a special prayer service in preparation for state-mandated tests.</p>
<p>According to the newspaper, “For two years, prayer services have been held at Northeast Baltimore's Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School as the Maryland School Assessments, a standardized test for third through eighth grades, neared. Fliers promoted the most recent event, on March 5, as a way to ‘come together, as one, in prayer and ask God to bless our school to pass the MSA.’”</p>
<p><em>The Sun</em> said the 30-minute prayer service marked the” culmination of Saturday classes the school has held to provide additional preparation for the Maryland School Assessments. The flier, which included images of praying hands and cited common Christian Bible verses, was distributed to staff to circulate to the school's 400 students and their families.”</p>
<p>Civil liberties experts quickly pointed out that the Supreme Court ruled long ago that public schools cannot promote prayer and other forms of worship. That would violate the constitutional separation of church and state. Top school officials agreed that Yon’s intervention in religion was “not appropriate” and promised to investigate.</p>
<p>That didn’t go over well with some. Jimmy Gittings, president of the city principals' union, told <em>The Sun</em> he supported his colleague’s move.</p>
<p>"The only individuals I hold accountable for these injustices for Ms. Yon are the narrow-minded politicians from some 50 years ago, for removing prayer from our schools,” Gittings blustered. “Once prayer was removed from our schools, the respect for our teachers and administrators has been increasingly out of control."</p>
<p>I don’t know which is more surprising: that one public school principal would think it’s okay to turn her public school into a church or that another would have such a warped view of constitutional history.</p>
<p>Sorry, Principal Gittings, it wasn’t “narrow-minded politicians” who “removed” prayer from our schools. It was the U.S. Supreme Court, which has ruled repeatedly that the Constitution forbids government officials, including public school teachers and administrators, to intrude into children’s religious upbringing. Parents should decide what instruction their children get about religion.</p>
<p>And, furthermore, the high court didn’t “remove” prayer; it simply barred school officials from dictating it. Students are still quite free to engage in personal devotions as long as they aren’t interfering with the rights of others (or doing it while they’re supposed to be studying for standardized tests).</p>
<p>Principal Gittings has been reading too much Religious Right propaganda. If student respect for teachers and administrators has declined, it’s not because of the Supreme Court’s prayer rulings. The idea that some sort of school-mandated, watered-down rote prayer is going to instill respect in students is simply ridiculous.</p>
<p>I suspect that <em>The Sun</em> article will quickly result in a correction of Baltimore school practices regarding religion. We’ll be keeping an eye on things to make sure.</p>
<p>In the mean time, if Principals Yon and Gittings want sound information on the law governing religion and public schools, they can check out <a href="http://religioninthepublicschools.com/">a recent book </a>on the topic on the AU website. Anne Marie Lofaso’s <em>Religion in the Public Schools: A Road Map for Avoiding Lawsuits and Respecting Parents’ Legal Rights </em>covers this issue and many more. You can download it for free!</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tench-tilghman-elementary">Tench Tilghman Elementary</a></span></div></div>Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:17:39 +0000Joseph L. Conn1632 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/inappropriate-test-prep-baltimore-principal-leads-students-in-prayer#commentsThe Bold And The Brave: Saluting Those Who Stand Up For The Church-State Wall https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-bold-and-the-brave-saluting-those-who-stand-up-for-the-church-state
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Over the years, many brave individuals have risked community backlash to stand up for separation of church and state.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>On Tuesday I flew to New England to speak to a humanist group in Worcester, Mass. It was a great event, and I pleased to see so many people venture out on a cold night to hear what I had to say.</p>
<p>As I surveyed the crowd from the podium, I spotted an old friend in the third row: Ellery Schempp.</p>
<p>That name may not mean much to some of our younger friends, but it should. Ellery was the plaintiff in a landmark <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/02/robs-blog-2-10-11.pdf">school prayer case</a> that reached the Supreme Court. In <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&amp;vol=374&amp;invol=203"><em>Abington School District v. Schempp</em></a>, handed down in 1963, the high court declared mandatory, school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in the public schools unconstitutional.</p>
<p>As I talked with Ellery after my speech, I was reminded how important people like him have been in the history of church-state separation. Our freedoms would have remained just words on parchment if Ellery and others hadn’t gone to court to end injustices.</p>
<p>[caption id="attachment_3255" align="alignnone" width="491" caption="Rob Boston and Ellery Schempp"]<a href="http://blog.au.org/alpha/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Rob-Boston-and-Ellery-Schempp.jpg"></a>[/caption]</p>
<p>Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Ellery and his family fought in the courts for more than five years. When the Supreme Court released its decision on June 17, 1963, it was a lopsided 8-1 victory for the Schempps.</p>
<p>Activism like this often comes at a price. In Ellery’s case, he had to deal with a crass move by Abington High School’s principal, who disliked the case and actually wrote a letter to officials at Tufts University, where Ellery had been accepted, labeling him a troublemaker and urging them to deny him admission. (The pathetic ploy failed miserably. Ellery graduated from Tufts and went on to earn a Ph.D in physics from Brown University.)</p>
<p>Other plaintiffs in church-state cases have faced much worse. I was reminded of Joann Bell, a mother in Little Axe, Okla., who protested religious activity in her children’s public schools in 1981. Her home was <a href="http://blog.au.org/2008/11/25/hell-in-little-axe-an-oklahoma-moms-chilling-battle-with-religious-bigotry/">burned down</a> by an arsonist.</p>
<p>I was reminded of Jim McCollum, whose mother Vashti challenged in-school catechism classes in the late 1940s. Vashti was <a href="http://blog.au.org/2006/08/29/one_womans_figh/">fired</a> from her job, and Jim was assaulted in school after the lawsuit was filed.</p>
<p>I was reminded of Melinda Maddox, a plaintiff in an AU-sponsored lawsuit in Alabama against “Ten Commandments” judge Roy Moore. She returned home from her honeymoon to find that the windows of her house had been<a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2004/04/plucky-lindy.html"> shot out</a>.</p>
<p>Groups like Americans United do not have the power to come into a community and sue when there is a church-state violation unless we’re representing local people who are being negatively affected by the government’s actions. Over the years, many brave individuals have risked community backlash to stand up for separation of church and state. Our nation is a better, fairer place because of their activism.</p>
<p>Americans United members and supporters like you play an important role, too. You provide the funding that makes our work, including legal challenges, possible. You educate your communities about church-state separation. You organize and attend events and forums.</p>
<p>The Religious Right, of course, would rather that we don’t do any of these things. Its legal groups have even tired to deny us access to the courts on some occasions.</p>
<p>Attempts by would-be theocrats to shut us down are discouraging – but they will not succeed. As I looked over the crowd Tuesday night and as I chatted with Ellery afterwards, I was reminded that when people of different backgrounds, ages, faiths and philosophies work together to defend the church-state wall, great things are possible.</p>
<p>Ellery Schempp is living proof of that.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/02/robs-blog-2-10-11.pdf"><br /></a></p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-state-milestones">Church-State Milestones</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ellery-schempp">Ellery Schempp</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/inside-au">Inside AU</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joann-bell">Joann Bell</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/massachusetts">Massachusetts</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/melinda-maddox">Melinda Maddox</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/roy-moore">Roy Moore</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vashti-mccollum">Vashti McCollum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/worcester">worcester</a></span></div></div>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:13:15 +0000Rob Boston2162 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-bold-and-the-brave-saluting-those-who-stand-up-for-the-church-state#commentsAwful Amendments: Virginia House Undercuts Legacy Of Religious Libertyhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/awful-amendments-virginia-house-undercuts-legacy-of-religious-liberty
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>If Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were around today, they would be extremely disappointed in their home state of Virginia.</p>
<p>The Virginia House of Delegates voted yesterday to approve two constitutional amendments that threaten church-state separation: one that promotes prayer in public places, including public schools, and another that permits taxpayer money to fund the religious training and theological education of certain students.</p>
<p>Both of these resolutions, which will move to the Virginia Senate, are contradictory to Jefferson and Madison’s vision for Virginia and the United States. Jefferson and Madison were strong supporters of religious freedom and keeping church and state separate.</p>
<p>Yet certain legislators are bent on stomping out Jefferson and Madison’s legacy, as well as the Virginia and federal constitutions.</p>
<p>Del. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson County) sponsored HJR 593, which seeks to add a paragraph to the religious freedom section of the Virginia constitution that states, in part, “the people’s right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including public schools, shall not be infringed.” The resolution passed the House by a 61-33 vote.</p>
<p>Carrico decided to sponsor the resolution after a high school in his district received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union reminding the public school that it is unconstitutional to allow students to give prayers over the public address system at football games.</p>
<p>Carrico’s amendment would allow the school to continue with these coercive types of practices.</p>
<p>“[N]o longer would the secular world be able to tell anyone that their beliefs wouldn't be tolerated in public,” Carrico <a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2011/02/va-house-passes-constitutional-amendment-school-prayer">said</a> on the House floor<em>.</em></p>
<p>Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/02/va-hjr-593-prayer-amendment.pdf">wrote</a> to House Committee on Privileges and Elections to oppose this amendment.</p>
<p>“HJR 593 is a solution in search of a problem – private, voluntary prayer is currently allowed in public schools, and religion has not been zoned out of the public square,” the letter asserted. “And the solution would have harmful consequences – instead of providing additional protection for religious expression, this proposed amendment would allow for religious coercion in public schools and authorize government misuse of religion for political ends.”</p>
<p>Americans United also opposed HJR 614, an amendment to the state constitution that would allow taxes to pay for private religious or theological education for National Guard chaplains.</p>
<p>“This proposed amendment would violate the U.S. Constitution and conflict with existing provisions of the Virginia Constitution,” <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/02/va-hjr-614-constitutional.pdf">wrote</a> Dena Sher, AU’s state legislative counsel. “It would also amend the Virginia Constitution to create the precise ill that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison remedied long ago – taxing all Virginians to pay for particular faiths’ religious instruction.”</p>
<p>AU’s letter highlighted Madison’s famous Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, which he wrote in 1785 in response to a bill that would have levied taxes to pay for clergy to teach religion.</p>
<p>Madison was in extreme opposition to religion taxes, and in the Remonstrance, he asked: “Who does not see…[t]hat the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment [of religion], may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?”</p>
<p>The Remonstrance helped lead the Virginia General Assembly to oppose the measure, and instead, pass Thomas Jefferson’s Act for Establishing Religious Freedom. The 1786 Act declared that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever,” which are the very words found in Article I, Section 16 of today’s Virginia Constitution.</p>
<p>Still, HJR 614 – which undermines Madison’s and Jefferson’s work – passed the House yesterday with a 62-32 vote.</p>
<p>Virginia has always afforded its citizens the strong guarantees of religious freedom, and it’s sad that so many legislators want to do away with that legacy.</p>
<p>Despite their efforts, there is a good chance that day won’t ever come. Both resolutions now go to the Senate, where in the past, similar measures have failed.</p>
<p>If the measures do succeed in the Senate, it’s still possible to keep them from becoming part of the state constitution. In Virginia, constitutional amendments must pass in <a href="http://www.necn.com/02/01/11/2-bills-focusing-on-religion-pass-Va-Hou/landing_politics.html?&amp;blockID=3&amp;apID=2e6bc46306ba42ff93f2d110a4f5dde1">both</a> the House and Senate in two different years separated by a legislative election, and then be approved by voters in a statewide election.</p>
<p>Since we can’t necessarily count on the Virginia General Assembly, perhaps we can count on Virginia’s citizens to do the right thing and make Jefferson and Madison proud. As a registered Virginia voter, I know I plan to.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hjr-593">HJR 593</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hjr-614">HJR 614</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-funding-religion">Tax Funding of Religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia">virginia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia-house-delegates">Virginia House of Delegates</a></span></div></div>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:00:09 +0000Sandhya Bathija2501 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/awful-amendments-virginia-house-undercuts-legacy-of-religious-liberty#commentsSorry, Soddy-Daisy!: Public Schools Should Not Promote One Faith Over Othershttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sorry-soddy-daisy-public-schools-should-not-promote-one-faith-over-others
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A Tennessee public school has done the right thing and agreed to stop broadcasting Christian prayers over the loudspeaker at football games and graduation ceremonies.</p>
<p>After students complained to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the group sent a letter to school officials asking them to discontinue the unconstitutional practice.</p>
<p>Hamilton County Schools Superintendent issued an order to halt the prayers, and yesterday Soddy-Daisy High School Principal John Maynard promised that he would.</p>
<p>"Now that we have citizens in our community protesting,” Maynard told the <a href="http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/102010-chattanooga-school-urged-to-stop-game-prayers">Associated Press</a>, “we need to notify our principals to follow the law based on numerous court cases.”</p>
<p>Of course, for many in the Chattanooga-area community, this is an unwelcome decision – even for a school board member who should know better.</p>
<p>Hamilton County Board of Education member Rhonda Thurman, who represents Soddy-Daisy, said the prayers were part of the school’s tradition, and that anyone who didn’t want to hear them could “put their fingers in their ears.”</p>
<p>She <a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/oct/20/national-group-demands-end-prayers-soddy-daisy-hig/?local">told</a> the AP , “Everybody is offended by something. I’m offended by a lot of those little girls running around with their thong panties showing, but I can’t make that go away.”</p>
<p>Parent Jim Rogers complained that his child’s free speech rights are being violated.</p>
<p>“People who find Christianity contrary to their beliefs shouldn’t be offended that [Christians] have the freedom to express their religious beliefs,” he said.</p>
<p>It’s a shame that these people just don’t get it.</p>
<p>Claiming that students can just “put their fingers in their ears” doesn’t change the fact that the school is unfairly and unconstitutionally favoring one particular religion. Students of all faiths and none should feel welcome at school. They should not feel like outcasts because school officials forget that it’s their duty is to remain neutral on the topic of religion. Parents should determine what faith their children practice, not school officials.</p>
<p>Students have the right to voluntarily practice their faith in public schools so long as it does not disrupt others or interrupt class time. But school officials cannot give preferential treatment to one religious belief by allowing only Christian prayers to be broadcast over the loudspeakers.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the Constitution has not been lost on everyone in Hamilton County, Tenn.</p>
<p>Michael Dzik, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, said it’s the school’s responsibility to make all students feel welcome.</p>
<p>“I think that the [school] administration needs to be very sensitive to these types of things,” he said. “This is not a Jewish issue, this is not a Christian issue. It’s a people issue, and having a basic respect for other people and their beliefs.”</p>
<p>If only everyone could see it that way.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/chattanooga">Chattanooga</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/freedom-religion-foundation">Freedom From Religion Foundation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tennessee">Tennessee</a></span></div></div>Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:27:40 +0000Sandhya Bathija2475 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sorry-soddy-daisy-public-schools-should-not-promote-one-faith-over-others#commentsWhen Silence Speaks Volumes: Illinois Law Promotes Prayer, And The Court Knows Ithttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/when-silence-speaks-volumes-illinois-law-promotes-prayer-and-the-court
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>When the “moment of silence” bill first came up for vote in the Illinois legislature years ago, some House members sang a song on the floor to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence.” It went:</p>
<p><em>Hello, school prayer, our old friend</em></p>
<p><em>It’s time to vote on you again</em></p>
<p><em>In our school house without warning</em></p>
<p><em>You seek a moment in the morning</em>.</p>
<p>The words made very clear these legislators’ intent in proposing the measure: to bring government-sponsored prayer back into the public schools.</p>
<p>Yet last week, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seemed to miss this glaringly obvious fact. In a 2-1 decision in <em>Sherman v. Koch</em>, the court <a href="http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/220Q23NF.pdf">held</a> the legislature had a secular purpose in passing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act and upheld the law as constitutional.</p>
<p>The Act requires every public school classroom to open with “a brief period of silence,” which serves as an opportunity for “silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day.”</p>
<p>The law was enacted in October 2008, after the Illinois legislature overrode a veto by the governor, who cited concerns over the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>Rob Sherman, a parent of a high school student in Arlington Heights, Ill. filed a lawsuit, and a federal district court <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2008/01/illinois-moment-1.html">struck down</a> the Act for being unconstitutionally vague.</p>
<p>The appeals court last week overturned that decision. The majority opinion, written by Reagan-appointee Judge Daniel Manion, held that the law was not vague and that the legislature acted constitutionally.</p>
<p>“The Illinois legislature had a secular purpose in passing Section 1, namely mandating a period of silence to calm school children before the start of their day,” wrote Manion. “There is no evidence that the secular purpose is a sham and that Illinois’s true purpose was to promote prayer. And there is nothing impermissible about clarifying that students may pray during that time period. Section 1 also does not advance or inhibit religion (or specific religions that practice momentary silent prayer), but rather mandates only a period of silence. There is also no state entanglement with religion.”</p>
<p>The court couldn’t be more wrong, and Judge Ann Clair Williams spelled out why in her dissent.</p>
<p>“Let's call a spade a spade – statutes like these are about prayer in schools,” she wrote. "The Act makes what I believe to be an unnecessary reference to prayer, signaling a predominantly religious purpose to the statute. And by enumerating prayer as one of the only two specific permissible activities, the Act conveys a message that Illinois students should engage in prayer during the prescribed period as opposed to a host of other silent options."</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Religious Right groups like the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, are hailing the decision.</p>
<p>“Just because a person is ‘offended’ that someone else might use a period of silence to pray doesn’t mean that the Constitution has been violated,” <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/4401">said</a> ADF attorney Andy Norman. “The court rightly determined that voluntary periods of silence cannot be interpreted as an establishment of religion. Such an accusation not only demonstrates hostility to our nation’s history and heritage, but also a profound misunderstanding of the First Amendment.”</p>
<p>We think it’s the 7th Circuit and groups like the ADF that misunderstand. Students don’t need the Illinois General Assembly’s permission to pray during the school day. Even without this law, students can pray on their own, so long as it does not disrupt others.</p>
<p>These types of laws are part of a bigger agenda and it’s a shame the majority on this court failed to see, despite concrete evidence, that there really is no other purpose for a “moment of silence” law except a religious one.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/7th-circuit-court">7th Circuit Court</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/illinois">Illinois</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/moment-silence">Moment of Silence</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/official-prayer-religious-displays-amp-ceremonial-religion-outside-schools">Official Prayer, Religious Displays &amp;amp; Ceremonial Religion (outside schools)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span></div></div>Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:29:14 +0000Sandhya Bathija2474 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/when-silence-speaks-volumes-illinois-law-promotes-prayer-and-the-court#commentsReligion + Public School = Trouble: Prayer-Pushing Mississippi Math Teacher Resignshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/religion-public-school-trouble-prayer-pushing-mississippi-math-teacher
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>For the most part, our public school teachers respect and appreciate the U.S. Constitution. They understand that parents should choose what to teach their children about religion, not school employees.</p>
<p>But every once in a while, a teacher comes along who insists he or she knows better. For example, Meadville, Miss., math instructor Alice Hawley believes she should lead her students in prayer during class.</p>
<p>Back in May, Franklin County School District Superintendent Dr. Grady Fleming issued Hawley a letter of non-renewal, stating she was being let go for “continued and regular leading of your students in prayer during class” and “insubordination by failure to stop having class prayer after being told to stop.”</p>
<p>But Hawley was reinstated the next morning because there was no evidence she had been previously asked to stop.</p>
<p>At that time, Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/meadville-ms-teacher-praying.pdf">sent a letter</a> to Fleming and the school’s principal, reminding them that the school district “has not only the right, but the duty, to prohibit Hawley from praying with her students during contract time.”</p>
<p>Hawley said she would rather quit than stop praying with her students and resigned in mid-August following the school district’s receipt of AU’s letter.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t going to quit praying as long as the students wanted it,” she <a href="http://www.dailyleader.com/topstories/article_80b2fcda-a640-11df-b8c3-001cc4c03286.html">told the <em>Daily Leader</em></a>. “Why get fired and then not be able to be hired because you were fired for insubordination? That would have went on my record.”</p>
<p>Hawley should realize that with or without student consent, it’s not constitutional – or appropriate -- for school officials to commandeer the religious lives of their students.</p>
<p>As AU pointed out in its letter, “Public school employees simply do not have the ‘right to make the promotion of religion a part of their job description.’ The courts have consistently upheld school districts’ authority both to prohibit school employees from injecting religion into the public school setting and to discipline employees who violate this edict.”</p>
<p>We’re glad to see this issue resolved. If Hawley insisted that she must pray with her students, it’s better that she not work in a public school system. The law has made it abundantly clear that public schools must remain neutral on the subject of religion.</p>
<p>Despite this being a very basic and simple concept, Americans United’s Legal Department spends a large chunk of time enforcing this constitutional mandate.</p>
<p>To save school districts the hassle of dealing with litigation, Americans United has published <a href="http://religioninthepublicschools.com/"><em>Religion in the Public Schools: A Road Map for Avoiding Lawsuits and Respecting Parents’ Legal Rights</em></a>. Written by Anne Marie Lofaso, associate professor of law at West Virginia University, the book provides answers on what the law requires with regard to religion in the public schools.</p>
<p>It’s definitely worth checking out.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alice-hawley">Alice Hawley</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/franklin-county-school-district">Franklin County School District</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mississippi">Mississippi</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:23:48 +0000Sandhya Bathija2461 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/religion-public-school-trouble-prayer-pushing-mississippi-math-teacher#commentsBits And Pieces: A Roundup Of News You Might Have Missedhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bits-and-pieces-a-roundup-of-news-you-might-have-missed
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Here’s some news about church-state separation and the Religious Right that you might have missed</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Another Friday is here, and it’s time for our semi-regular feature of news about church-state separation and the Religious Right that you might have missed. Be warned, some of the stories this week are about sex!</p>
<ul><li>
<p>Opposition to gays serving in the military continues to crumble as Congress moves to overturn the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the Clinton years. The Religious Right is in quite a lather over this.</p>
<p>Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/family-research-council-end-of-dadt-means-more-gay-rape-in-the-military.php">recently opined</a> that allowing gay men to serve in the military will increase sexual assaults, because they will be likely to perform oral sex on unsuspecting comrades while they sleep. (Just a reminder, folks, I don’t make this stuff up.)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Like other states, North Dakota allows motorists to buy vanity license plates. Many of the plates issued by the Department of Transportation refer to God in a positive way – “TRIGOD” and “ILUVGOD” are two examples. But when Fargo resident Brian Magee applied for a plate reading “ISNOGOD” he was <a href="http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/article_bf0ff282-6557-11df-9bb3-001cc4c03286.html">denied</a>.</p>
<p>I told the <em>Bismarck Tribune</em> that the department was on the wrong road. If pro-God messages are permitted, anti-God messages must be as well, I said, and I recommended that the department give Magee the plate. I’m pleased to say officials agreed. Magee has been told <a href="http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_eb23ea1c-69c7-11df-ba72-001cc4c002e0.html ">he will get his plate</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>Right-wing actor Stephen Baldwin frequently appears at the Family Research Council’s annual Values Voter Summit, where he rants and raves about how we’re all doomed: Jesus is mad because American pop culture is too sexually explicit. Curiously, this did not stop Baldwin from <a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a218613/louie-spence-strips-naked-for-charity.html">posing nude</a> for the U.K. version of <em>Cosmopolitan</em>. What a hypocrite!</li>
<li>
<p>If you want to serve on the city council, you ought to have a good grasp of municipal finances, ideas for improving your community and a desire to serve the public. Does where you go to church and how (or if) you worship matter? Not so much. Yet at a recent church-sponsored “faith and values” forum for city council candidates in Cleveland, attendees were grilled on their personal theological beliefs.</p>
<p>Mansfield Frazier of <em>The Cleveland Leader</em> was not impressed. <a href="//www.clevelandleader.com/node/13909">His criticism</a> of the forum is spirited and provocative. I’m not saying I agree with everything in it, but Frazier has a lot of interesting things to say – and isn’t afraid to say them.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>High school graduation season is upon us, and that means flaps over prayers during the ceremony. Some public schools (like<a href="http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Exeter-High-Grads-to-Vote-on-Allowing-Prayer/8M7uVWTDL0qlREMNy8WDMg.cspx"> this one</a>) continue to allow students to vote on having prayers – which is totally unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Linda P. Campbell, a columnist and editorial writer at the Fort Worth <em>Star-Telegram</em>,<a href="//www.sacbee.com/2010/05/28/2783315/enlightenment-about-the-role-of.html#ixzz0pEZzRBk4"> has written</a> a thoughtful piece about this issue. Take a look.</p>
</li>
</ul><p>That’s all for now. The Wall of Separation will be on hiatus on Monday. Enjoy the holiday weekend!</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cleveland">Cleveland</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/FRC">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/north-dakota">north dakota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/peter-sprigg">peter sprigg</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/stephen-baldwin">Stephen Baldwin</a></span></div></div>Fri, 28 May 2010 14:49:13 +0000Rob Boston2086 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bits-and-pieces-a-roundup-of-news-you-might-have-missed#commentsFlorida Flim-Flam: ‘Inspirational Message’ Bill Is Attack On Church-State Separationhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/florida-flim-flam-%E2%80%98inspirational-message%E2%80%99-bill-is-attack-on-church-state
<a href="/users/stern">Ilana Stern</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Drake supports silencing the voice of minority faiths and those with no faith at all in favor of school-sponsored majoritarian endorsements of Christianity. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Ten years ago, the Santa Fe (Texas) Independent School District was just another American town that loved its high school football team. On Friday evenings, students congregated in metal bleachers to cheer for their friends, parents attended with camcorders and warm coffee in gloved hands, and full recaps of exciting games were printed in the local papers.</p>
<p>But not all residents felt comfortable participating in one of the town’s favorite pastimes. Prior to each game’s kickoff, a student selected by his/her peers would command the attention of the crowd over the field’s PA system and offer a prayer “to solemnize the event.” When challenged in the federal courts, the practice was deemed unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Upon reaching the Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority, held that the invocations, occurring in accordance with school policy, on school property and at school-sponsored or school-related events, constituted a governmental endorsement of religion. Stevens wrote that the Constitution forbids school districts from “exact[ing] religious conformity from a student as the price of joining her classmates at a varsity football game.”</p>
<p>The courts have since upheld the principles espoused in <em>Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe </em>by<em> </em>consistently barring officially sanctioned public prayer from school-sponsored events.</p>
<p>So, why does Florida’s state legislature think that it can legalize what has been expressly forbidden by the federal Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court?</p>
<p>State Rep. Brad Drake (R-DeFuniak Springs) has been leading the charge, seeking to legislate prayer at non-mandatory school events including, but not limited to, assemblies, sports events and school dances.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the House’s Pre-K-12 Policy Committee voted 10-3 to forward HB 31: a bill “prohibiting district school boards, administrative personnel and instructional personnel from discouraging or inhibiting student delivery of an inspirational message at a noncompulsory high school activity.”</p>
<p>While the bill maintains a façade of free exercise and neutrality by permitting “inspirational messages,” rather than “prayers and invocations” (as were specifically mentioned in the original draft), HB 31 is divisive, coercive, politically charged and unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Rep. Marty Kiar (D-Parkland) argued that the bill is “blatantly unconstitutional” and potentially unfair to students who do not belong to Florida’s Christian majority. Rep Dwight Bullard (D-Miami) agreed, <a href="http://www.jaxobserver.com/2010/03/18/school-prayer-bill-clears-first-hurdle/">adding that</a> “the legislation could also create a scenario where a student could openly attack students who are gay or of a different race, and the teachers would be unable to stop that.”</p>
<p>Florida religious leaders affiliated with Americans United are speaking out. Rabbi Merrill Shapiro (who serves as president of the Americans United Board of Trustees) joined two other Florida clergy in supporting church-state separation.</p>
<p>Shapiro, the Rev. Dr. Harold Brockus and the Rev. Harry Parrot wrote a letter to Committee Chairman John Legg asking him to oppose HB31.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.au.org/documents/2010/fl-hb-31.pdf">The letter reads</a>, in part: “Allowing prayers in any school sponsored-context would make students who practice their faith differently from the majority or who adhere to minority faiths feel like outsiders. Forcing prayer upon public-school students not only violates the rights of those students, it also demeans the spiritual significance of religious belief.”</p>
<p>Supporters of HB 31 claim it is merely an affirmation of the free exercise rights of Florida students and teachers. But that’s just not true. The U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 3 of the Florida Constitution already protect the right to pray. Students can pray voluntarily during non-instructional time, and thanks to the Federal Equal Access Act, they can form religiously motivated school clubs (if other secular clubs are allowed to form).</p>
<p>In short, the bill is religiously motivated and intended to endorse Christianity in the state’s public schools.</p>
<p>Speaking about his sponsorship of the measure in 2009, <a href="http://www.northescambia.com/?p=9691">Drake said</a>, “I don’t think its fundamentally right when 700 kids want to pray in school and three are against it, the government sides with those three and prohibits children from having the opportunity to pray to God in our schools.”</p>
<p>His statement couldn’t have been clearer, Drake supports silencing the voice of minority faiths and those with no faith at all in favor of school-sponsored majoritarian endorsements of Christianity.</p>
<p>This is unconstitutional. Applying the decision in <em>Santa Fe v. Doe,</em> wherein Justice Stevens wrote that Santa Fe’s school prayer policy was religiously motivated and, therefore, would violate the <em>Lemon</em> test even if no student were to ever offer a religious message, it is evident that HB 31 will not stand up to even the most lenient legal scrutiny.</p>
<p>If you live in Florida, <a href="http://action.au.org/au/issues/alert/?alertid=14835716">take action </a>to stop this blatant impugning of our Constitution! There is another hearing on the bill slated for Monday, March 22. We urge our Florida members to call their representatives to voice their opposition to this attack on the wall of separation.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/florida">Florida</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hb31">HB31</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-public-schools">prayer in public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div>Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:16:31 +0000Ilana Stern2259 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/florida-flim-flam-%E2%80%98inspirational-message%E2%80%99-bill-is-attack-on-church-state#comments